Chelyabinsk Oblast is notable not only for smoking plant pipes, but also for magnificent mountain tops of the Eastern and Southern Urals, impressive rocks, mysterious caves, picturesque rivers, clean lakes and enigmatic ruins of ancient cities like no other in the world.

The landscape and plant life of Taganay National Park are unique: here a traveler comes across taiga, Alpine tundra, temperate broad-leaf forests, subalpine meadows and steppes. Flora and fauna are incredibly diverse here; European and Siberian species coexist in the same territory.

Lake Uvildy is the largest salt waterbody of the region. Its name comes from Bashkir and it means “a lake in a depression”. The reservoir is very deep, the depth of its lowest point amounts to 38 meters. The waters are amazingly clean and transparent; one can observe the life of fish and lake plants from the shore rocks.

Mysterious Arkaim hillfort, which is a historical and geographical museum, is the best-known settlement in the ancient Country of Towns. The great city was founded over 4000 years ago at the confluence of the Bolshaya Karaganka and Utyaganka rivers. The hillfort got its name after one of the hills. The ancient settlement became surrounded by myths, and esoterics consider it to be “a place of power”.

In the cliffs along the banks of the river Ay there is a unique cave complex by the name of Sikiyaz-Tamak which consists of 43 different solutional cavities. An entire underground settlement contains several dwellings, religious premises, craft workshops and grave fields.

Ilmen Nature Reserve attracts scientists and tourists first and foremost thanks to a great diversity of precious minerals. In the conservation area there exist up to 1000 plant species, 57 species of mammals and over 170 species of birds. 50 archaeological sites of ancient people have been discovered in the reserve.

Zyuratkul National Park. The area of the park is over 88000 hectares, its vast territory encompasses a number of natural, archeological, cultural and historic monuments. Within the borders of the protected area are several mountain ranges and the alpine lake reservoir of the same name on the banks of which there are a dozen sites of ancient people.

In the Ural Federal University Library collection you will find fiction books featuring Chelyabinsk Oblast along with non-fiction literature about its history and tourist attractions.